A Fiery Passion
by Vangran
Summary: Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha ends differently. Gaara loses to Naruto, but his siblings abandon him. Gaara runs and Sakura chases. Along the way they accidentally stumble onto a hidden village's land and who's this Kazankage? Abandoned. Anyone can use the ideas from this story if they want
1. Chapter 1: The Discovery

A Fiery Passion

characters may seem OOC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, Sasuke would have been a minor character. But what I do own are the OC's and OP's (Original Places)

Summary: Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha has a different ending. Gaara loses to Naruto, but his siblings abandon him. Gaara runs and Sakura gives chase. Along the way they accidentally stumble onto a hidden village's land, and who is this Kazankage? GaaSaku

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Chapter 1: the Discovery

Sakura drove Gaara into the mountains where he found himself cornered. They start to fight. Sakura drew her kunai and lunged at him, his sand was quick to rise to his defense, even though he was tired from the recent battle with Naruto. It was not as strong as it could be, and so it only served to slow her down. Sakura broke through the sand and charged at Gaara, with her kunai held high, but just as she was about to land a blow she was suddenly pushed through the air by a wind jutsu. She landed hard. Sakura didn't have enough energy to keep herself up after that hit.

Gaara looked up slowly and saw a group of ninjas running toward him. Yet before he could act one of them cast a sleep justu on him and he fell to the ground. Then there was darkness.

_A Fiery Passion_

The village was quiet as a young man made his way through the volcano's crater. He looked around at the shops with their doors closed and blinds shut tight and sighed. He looked up at the ceiling of the mountain and wished that he could see what it was like in the outside world. Being of a noble clan, he wasn't allowed to go anywhere without a guard because someone might discover the villages location and somehow make it past the guards and then somehow learned of the Tagerasu's importance to the village. Just as he was about to walk into his office, a squad of Ninjas made their presence known. Upon seeing him, they walked up to him and dragged the 2 prisoners up front.

His head of security walked up and bowed. "My lord, we found these two trespassing on our lands. We believe that they were trying to find the entrance to our village."

The young Tagerasu sniffed, "I don't know when you got so stupid Vedrial."

"Nani?" The head ninja looked up surprised, "But my lord, they were…" but he was cut off.

"One of them was probably chasing the other and led them here, it was just a coincidence that they were so close to us. And besides, since when would anyone know about our village? And now I have to deal with these two? Damn Vedrial it's still morning." Said man looked down, ashamed of his actions. The Tagerasu looked at him for a moment, pity in eyes, then he turned and faced the other ninja. "Men, take these two to my house, and set them up in my guest quarters."

They snapped to attention, "Yes, lord Kazankage!"

_A Fiery Passion_

Gaara came to in a king-sized canopy bed. He immediately started to panic thinking that Shukaku had gotten control of him, but, for the first time in his life, he expressed surprise. For not only had Shukaku not taken possession of him, he couldn't feel Shukaku at all. He lifted himself up off of the bed and looked around. The room was rather bare, with a couple paintings on the wall and a desk in the corner and a lamp on its top. When he moved, he felt a strange material touching his skin. He looked down and saw that he was wearing a blue robe similar to what the Kazekage would wear. He got up out of bed and moved to the door. He slammed open the door. The two Ninjas that stood outside jumped. They turned around to see a very angry twelve-year-old boy. The taller of the two took a deep breath.

"Good morning, my lord. We have been given the honor of escorting you to breakfast with our Kage. So if you will please follow us we will take you there now." The ninjas started to walk away but then noticed that he wasn't following. They stopped. The tall one spoke again, not turning around. "All your questions will be answered in due time. But if you refuse to join in the meal than we cannot guarantee that you will get them. Now please, follow me." With that they walked off, leaving a very angry Gaara in their wake. After realizing that they weren't going to stop, he slowly went after them.

Meanwhile in another part of the palace, Sakura found herself in a well decorated, very feministic, bedroom. But that wasn't the strangest part to her. She was wondering where she was and how she got here. When she started to get up she realized that she was naked. Clutching the sheets to her body, she walked around trying to find something to wear. While looking around she found a closet filled with robes; she grabbed one off the rack and looked at it. It was similar to what the Hokage wore. She took a closer look in the closet and found underclothes. She started to put them on. Just as she was finished adjusting her robe, someone knocked on the door and said that she was invited to breakfast with the lord of the house; and, like Gaara, was told that all her questions would be answered then.

She sighed. She ran her hands over the robe, smoothing it out. She walked up to the door and opened it, signaling to the two ninjas outside that she was ready to go. The older of the two bowed. He motioned with his arm, indicating that they would escort her to the dining hall. She nodded, and with that, they were off.

While she and her escort were walking down the hall, they met up with two other ninja. They pointed behind them. Sakura moved her head to the side to see what they were pointing at. She gasped. It was Gaara. Her eyes flared seeing her enemy before her. She would have lunged at him, but was restrained by her escorts. The other two looked over at Gaara and saw him standing there with a bored look on his face. After a few moments Sakura sort-of calmed down. The 4 ninjas led them down a long hallway, which at the end had two huge doors at the end. They walked up to them and pushed them open. The ninjas motioned for Gaara and Sakura to go inside, and as soon as they were, closed the door behind them, but not before telling them that their lord would be with them shortly.

They took their seats, at opposite ends of the table, to avoid contact as much as possible. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. And just as Sakura was about to snap the doors opened, revealing a man wearing black Kage robes, and of course, the hat. He walked up to the head of the table and sat down. As soon as he was seated, he placed his hand on his hat, looking like he was going to remove it, but he hesitated. He took his hand down and placed it on the armrest of his chair, and leaned into it.

"So," he said gruffly, in an attempt to mask his age, "My men tell me that you two were fighting in the mountains around my village. Would you care to tell me why?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment.

_If I tell the truth maybe he will let me get back at Gaara for what he did to Sasuke and Naruto. _

Inner Sakura shook her head**, But we don't know who these people are, they could be working with Orochimaru. **

_Well, I guess we are just going to have to risk it._

She took a deep breath, "My village, Konoha, was hosting the Chuunin Exams this year and Sand was invited to join but then they decided to double-cross us and attacked us when it was almost over. He," She pointed at Gaara, "Was one of those Sand Ninja that attacked us. Sasuke and Naruto, ninjas from my village, chased after him and were able to defeat him but the last attack left Naruto without energy, so he got up and ran away. I gave chase and then we were in the mountains. I had just cornered him when your ninjas knocked us out. And the rest you know." She felt rather pleased with herself for getting that all out in one breath.

The Kazankage turned his head toward Gaara, "Well, how about you young man? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Hn" was all he said.

The Kazankage shook his head, "Well, suit yourself," he sighed, "Well now that that is out of the way how about we introduce ourselves? That should have been done first but I wasn't thinking straight, you know how it is, the morning daze." He removed his hat, which earned him a gasp from Sakura.

He was quite young, older than Gaara and Sakura but still. He had goldish-brown hair with sea-blue eyes. There were wrinkles around his mouth, which indicated that he laughed often. He was slight of stature, but even though he was, he didn't look weak, in fact quite the opposite. He looked like he could take on a rhino.

He smiled. This time when he spoke he used his real voice, which was a pleasing treble, "Well, do I measure up to your expectations?"

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	2. Chapter 2: The Volcano Village

Chapter Two: The Volcano Village

Vocab:

Kazankage: Volcano's shadow

Yōyūkage: Molten Shadow

Kyudaime: Ninth

Kakushi Honoo: Hidden Flame

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, Naruto would have grown up with his mother.

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Sakura was shocked, she hadn't expected him to be old, but the thought of him being young had never crossed her mind. After a few minutes of awkward silence the Kazankage spoke.

"My name is Hiranor Tagerasu, I am the Kyudaime Kazankage of Kazan, the Village Hidden in the Volcano, but you already knew that I presume?" When they shook their heads he was confused, "But my advisors assured me that our village was known far and wide. Are saying you have really never heard of us?"

Sakura shook her head again, "I am sorry milord but I have never heard of your village. And excuse me for being rude but I thought that there were only five Kages."

Hiranor looked taken aback, "Five Kages?" he quickly narrowed his eyes, "If you're lying, then there will be hell to pay. Is everything you just told me the truth?"

Sakura was about to open her mouth to speak when Gaara beat her to the punch, "It is," he said coldly. Both Hiranor and Sakura looked at him oddly, but for different reasons. Hiranor because he had never heard Gaara's voice before and it was like sand paper on wood, while in Sakura's case because he actually agreed with her.

Tagerasu stood up, "My apologies for leaving so suddenly, but I have some urgent matters to discuss with the Elders. They obviously think they can keep me in the dark, but they will soon find themselves not on my council of advisors."

Just as he was opening the door to leave, Sakura stood up and asked him a question, "Lord Kazankage, when you say council of advisors, what do you mean? I mean, don't they have a say in what goes on here in your village?"

Hiranor chuckled. He turned around and answered, "My lady, I am sure you are aware of my position as leader of this village, yes?" She nodded, "Good, then you should also be aware that as the leader, my voice reigns supreme. And as such every word I speak is the law. The villagers decided long ago that the ruler should have advisors to help him govern, and so the council came into being. But they are supposed to advise, not pull cheap stunts," He laughs as he suddenly came to realize something. "My lady, I am afraid I must ask you for your services. But before I do (and before I forget) would you please tell me your name?"

Sakura bowed low, "My name is Sakura Haruno, milord. And I would love to help you, but I must return to my village to help them in the battle."

Hiranor's eyes widened, "But, you just got here!" he waved his hands frantically, "And even if I wanted to I couldn't let you leave."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean you can't let me go?" she asked harshly.

"Well, you see," the Kazankage rubbed the back of his head, "We have always had a policy of detaining anyone who stumbled across our village. Now, I know I said my word is law but the villagers uphold the old laws better than mine. I would love to let you go home but until the elders are dealt with the villagers will never allow you to leave. I am sorry but that is how it must be for the time being."

Sakura sighed, "Well, if that's the way it is around here than I guess I have no choice," she stopped, suddenly remembering Gaara. She pointed her finger at him, "What about Gaara? I mean, he's not from around here either. Shouldn't he be involved?"

Inner Sakura had an evil grin, **If we have to do it, we are not going down alone**

Sakura inwardly nodded her agreement, they weren't gonna do this solo. He was going to pitch in even if he is cute. _Wait did I just say cute! _

Inner Sakura's eyes bulged, then turned thoughtful, **Ya know, now that you mention it…**

But before she could say more Hiranor responded. "Hmm, I guess it never hurt to have a second witness. And you two are enemies so they can't say that you are collaborating," he shrugged, "Eh why not?" He turned to face Gaara, "Lord Gaara, would you do me the honor of being a witness in this battle of wits?"

"Hn" was all he got from him.

Hiranor looked at Sakura, "Do you know what that means?" She shook her head. Hiranor's eyes glittered mischievously, "Then I am just going to have to interpret that as a yes. Alright lord Gaara come along, we have much to do and very little time to do it." Just then all of their stomachs growled, "After we eat breakfast. Alvior!" he called loudly.

An old man's head popped through the doors opening, "Yes lord Yōyūkage?"

"We need breakfast. I would like pancakes, French toast, bacon, eggs, and sausage." He turned back to look at Sakura and Gaara, "Would you like anything else?"

Sakura shook her head, Gaara simply Hn'd.

"Alright then, that will be all Alvior."

They sat back down at the table. Well Hiranor and Sakura did. Gaara hadn't moved a muscle so he remained where he was. It was going to be a little while before the food came out so Hiranor decided he would tell them about the history of his village.

"Our village was founded before the First Great Shinobi World War, 126 years before to be exact, by my ancestor, Helior Tagerasu. He was a part of a very secretive clan that was granted a unique power."

"What kind of power?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I'm not sure."

Sakura looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, "Pleeeeaaaaseee," she whined.

He sighed, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt, but, I won't show you it 'til we get to the meeting. However, interrogation would probably be the more appropriate word."

Sakura pouted, but she kept silent knowing that she would see it later on. Hiranor continued on with his tale, "We were at one point one of the most sought-after clans in the world. Our special powers gave us access to places ordinary people could never tread, but with such fame came a price. Our clan was hunted almost to extinction around two-hundred years ago. And that is what brought about Kazan, the Hidden Volcano Village. My ancestor found a dormant volcano and decided that, since our clan members are experts in the way of Kakushi Honoo. Now the only way I will let you see that is if we are in danger, which I highly doubt will happen while we are here. Now, on with the story. We have kept our location secret because we feared being found by other nations who might attack us, like their forefathers. We have been isolated ever since. Although we do send people out every so often for supplies and to participate in, well, I guess your Chuunin Exams. But in light of the information you have given, I have the feeling that they aren't really going, and if they are, it is under another village's banner." While he was talking, the doors opened, revealing the servants who came in carrying the plates laden with food. Hiranor rubbed his hands together, "Well, enough chatter, let's eat."

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	3. Chapter 3: Power of the Empath

Chapter 3: The Power of the Empath

Vocab:

Enpashigan: Empathic eye

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, Sakura wouldn't have cared about Sasuke

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They ate their meal quickly, well, Hiranor and Sakura did. Gaara took his sweet time eating his food. So they were forced to wait for him to finish 'til he was finished. When he was done, they yanked him from his seat and exited the Kage Mansion, headed toward the Council Meeting Hall. They stopped along the way to order ninjas to gather the advisors at the Hall. The party burst through the doors of the building, and made their way to the back of the auditorium, where the Kazankage's seat was, as well as the seats for Gaara and Sakura.

When the doors to the room opened, the 15 councilmen walked in, herded into their seats by the ninjas sent to get them. They were cursing the ninjas for waking them up this early in the morning: they were old and liked to sleep in. When they were all seated, Hiranor Tagerasu called for silence, and when the old men kept complaining, a vein burst on his forehead and he yelled, "SILENCE!" That got their attention, and they quickly shut their mouths for fear of making him even angrier.

Hiranor smirked, truth be told, he loved to yell at the councilmen, but he rarely had a good reason to, luckily this provided the perfect opportunity. The head advisor stood up, "My lord Yōyūkage, I really must protest. This meeting was not scheduled, and by the look of things, I am going to guess it has something to do with the two intruders. We have already come to a decision about them and…" Hiranor cut him off.

"Already come to a decision? Since when did you get to make decisions, Minoru? You are the advisor, so I suggest you change your answer. And though I would love to continue this little chat, I will tell you all why I have gathered you here." The councilmen looked at each other uneasily; the look he was giving them wasn't exactly friendly.

"Yes, please do explain why you have us up at this ungodly hour," a councilman bellowed.

Hiranor's gaze shifted toward the speaker, who immediately started to sweat. "The reason I have called you all here is because I have reason to believe that you are trying to usurp my powers as Kazankage and leave me in the dark on important affairs- the Chuunin Exams for example."

Minoru stood up quickly, "My lord, I assure you that whatever these…ruffians have told you is false."

Hiranor closed his eyes, "You know, Minoru, I thought you were smarter than that."

Just then, Minoru remembered why it was bad to lie to the Kazankage.

Hiranor snapped his eyes open, "Enpashigan!" His eyes started to spiral, forming a heart in each eye, and true to his word, he let Sakura see it. Hiranor looked out at the councilmen with his eyes; he saw some were genuinely tired, he saw some were greatly angered, and when he looked at Minoru, he saw that he was lying; the emotion was quite overpowering. And to top it off, anxiety was practically flowing off him in waves.

Hiranor smirked, "Now, Minoru, I now know for a fact that you are lying, that fact is basically stamped throughout your entire aura. Now sit down before I have you removed," the action was quickly carried out. "Now, where was I? Oh, that's right, I was saying that I believe you are attempting a coup," the other councilman started yelling, but were quickly silenced when he looked at them.

"What reason could you possibly have that would make you think we are trying to take over?" a daring councilman asked.

"I'm glad you asked. You see these two people beside me?" he motioned to Sakura and Gaara, "Well, you see they aren't from around here, in fact, they aren't even from the same village as each other. And they have told me some disturbing things, like how there are five other Kages out there, and that no one has ever spotted a headband from our village," he narrowed his eyes, "You are all tried for attempting a coup against the reigning Kazankage. As of now you are all stripped of your ranks as advisors and all benefits that go with it. And," his eyes glowed with amusement, "in light of the information given me by our guests," he paused to let the weight of that last word settle, "I am going to prepare our village for a trip to the outside world."

Everyone's eyes widened, except for Gaara's of course, and a spluttering of things like "You can't do that" and "You're out of your mind" came out and before too long a vein popped on Hiranor's forehead.

"Will you all shut up? I have had it with your constant complaining. That is all you have ever done since I became the Kazankage. Besides, your reactions only confirmed my suspicions. Now, guards, send these conspirators to the pit, I believe they have some vacancies that need to be filled."

The ninjas that stood guard at the doors grinned at each other, "With pleasure lord Kazankage." And they set out rounding up the former councilmen, and pushed them out of the Hall.

Once they were all gone, Hiranor turned back to face Gaara and Sakura, his eyes were still active. Without saying a word, he read their emotions, and what he saw there caused him to smile.

Sakura saw him smile and thought that he must be relieved that the others were gone, while Gaara didn't care enough to notice.

Sakura spoke up, "What is that eye of yours called again?"

"Enpashigan. It is also known as the Empathic Eye, as it has the power to read the emotions of others. It is my clan's Kekke Genkai."

"Wow, so it's kinda like the Sharingan."

Hiranor cocked his head, confused, "What is this 'Sharingan' of which you speak?"

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, but then they went back to normal after she remembered that they have been isolated since before the Uchiha clan was founded sixty years ago. She puts her finger on her chin, "Well, it allows the ninja to copy any jutsu that they see their opponent use, allows them though Genjutsus, and see Chakra flow. The only people I know of that can use it are the Uchiha clan and my sensei Kakashi Hatake."

"Well, it sounds like an interesting technique; I will have to look it up when we visit your hometown," he turned to face Gaara, "and what about you lord Gaara? What does your village have, besides the jinjuriki of course?"

Gaara's eyes widened, he hadn't expected this stranger who had been isolated his whole life to know about him. "How do you know about me?" he asked roughly.

Hiranor shrugged his shoulders, "That was easy, all I had to do was look at you with my Enpashigan and I felt the anger flowing out of you. Anger, and loneliness. You must lead a hard life my friend."

At that moment Gaara realized that he hadn't felt pressured by Shukaku to spill blood ever since he got here. "What have you done to Shukaku?" Sakura looked at him confused for a second before she remembered that the sand spirit had blood lust and looked at the Kazankage with the same look of confusion.

Hiranor leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head, "Hmph, I didn't do anything."

Gaara's confusion heightened, "What do you mean you didn't do anything?"

A small smile came across Hiranor's face, "Well, you see Gaara, this volcano has a… sleep effect demons that come within. In short, any demon that comes here falls unconscious and doesn't wake up 'til they leave. It is one of the reasons why my ancestors chose this location for the village."

"So Shukaku is sleeping?"

"To put it mildly, yes."

Gaara's face turned relieved, "Does this mean I can sleep?" he asked hopefully. As soon as the words left his mouth he wished he could take them back. He sounded like a little kid, which was totally unlike him.

Hiranor smiled, "Yes, you can sleep. I guess that being an insomniac can be quite trying. Well, don't worry, as long as you are within these walls you can sleep soundly because there is no way for the demon to wake up."

Sakura was being quiet, which was unlike her, so she decided to say something, "Lord Kazankage, when can we go home?"

The Kyudaime's face turned thoughtful for a moment. Then he spoke, "I am sorry to say that there will be a delay in your return to your home." Sakura's face fell. Hiranor quickly waved his hands, trying to reassure her, "We need time to prepare for the journey. The preparations will probably take well over a year. So in that time I hope you accept our humble apologies and our finest rooms during your stay." He motioned to the guards that had just returned, "Men, I would like you to escort these two back to my mansion," they both look at him with a glare that sent shivers down his spine, "Now don't look at me like that, I just have a few things I have to do before I let you roam freely, after all, the villagers don't know anything about you, and I have a few things I have to do before I introduce you," he got up out of his seat and started to walk toward the door, he talked over his shoulder, "so in the meantime why don't you two just relax and get to know each other better." He said the last part just as he was leaving the Hall. So they had no way to ask him why he thought they would even want to know each other.

_A Fiery Passion_

Minoru was fuming; he still couldn't believe the nerve of that little brat. When they gave him the title of Kazankage, that was all it was supposed to be, but nooooo, he just had to take the job seriously. And then he went and ruined their plans to take over Kazan (yes they really were trying to take over). Luckily for them it would take a long time before they would be even close to being ready to go out into the real world. And even if he wanted to do something, he couldn't, because he was in the high security prison known as the Pit.

Naturally the Pit is located inside a pit. The founders of the village long ago had decided that they needed a place to put all the murderers and rapists and assassins that kept popping up over the years, so they used Earth Jutsus to dig a very big hole, and made many smaller holes in the sides for the cells. It was quite ingenious; in fact, they used it to scare people off from doing bad things, and it worked.

Naturally, Minoru was put in a cell about two-thirds of the way down from the top, as he was considered to be the ring leader of the coup de' tat that never seemed to get off the ground. Right now he was regretting approving Hiranor as Kazankage, a choice that would haunt him the rest of his life. Every time he tried to give the advisors more power in his subtle ways Hiranor always said, "You have everything that men would ever want, why would you want more?"

He spat, the Tagerasu pup would pay for ruining his plans. But just as he thought his day couldn't get any worse, someone passed gas. Now, being underground, when the air rises and you are above the origination of said air, well, let's just say that the nose loses all ability to smell for a few days.

He grabbed his nose, his eyes bloodshot, "My mouth was open and everything!"

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	4. Chapter 4: The Unexpected Relationship

**Sorry for the delay and the short chapter.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, Naruto would have noticed Hinata's feelings a lot sooner.

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**Chapter Four: The Unexpected Relationship**

Sakura was sitting in the lounge inside the Kazankage's mansion, her legs swung back and forth as she tried to think of a way to pass the time that didn't involve Gaara, who was sitting across from her, on the other side of the lounge, inconspicuously trying to do the same thing. But no matter how hard either of them tried, neither of them could think of anything.

Finally realizing that there was nothing she could do, she sighed, which drew Gaara's attention. He was just about to give up as well, but luckily she had admitted defeat first so his pride would remain intact.

Sakura cleared her throat, nervous about what she was about to do. "Soooo, Gaara," he looked hr in the eyes, which sent a shiver down her spine, but she continued nonetheless, "What's it like in Suna? I have never been there so I was wondering since you live there…" her voice dropped off, unsure of how to go on.

Fortunately for her Gaara picked up where she left off, "That I would know it well." Sakura nodded nervously. "It is a pit of hatred. There is nothing good there to speak of."

Sakura was shocked, she had expected something but that definitely was not it. "N-Nothing?" he nodded his head. She quickly tried to find some way to keep the conversation going, "But there has to be something good about it."

Gaara didn't know why he was even talking with her; he wasn't supposed to be this friendly with the enemy, or with anyone for that matter. But then again he had nothing better to do since Shukaku was in 'hibernation'. "There is nothing. My father, the Kazekage, has sent assassins out to kill me every year since I was six."

Sakura couldn't help but gasp. She had never thought that, with him being a demon container like Naruto, that he would have had a bad childhood as well. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't thinking. Of course you had a bad childhood. Naruto's wasn't exactly flowers and sunshine."

"It is okay. After all, I am only a weapon. Or at least I thought I was until I met Naruto. Now I am not so sure." He shook his head, "My life has been turned upside down. I don't know what to make of it anymore."

Sakura's eyes softened considerably. After just a few words he had broken down the barrier between them. He had shown her that he could in fact feel and she was, well, she didn't really know. She had a slight fluttering in her stomach.

But he wasn't done, yet, "I want to be dear to someone too. Like Naruto. He has all of you behind him to make him strong, while I have only myself." And with that their fate was sealed. For at that very moment, as soon as the words had passed his lips, Sakura had gotten up and ran over to him, and threw her arms around him. His eyes widened. His breathing grew rapid as she held him. His arms were suspended in the air, unsure what to do. He had never been hugged before, but if they felt this good every time then he wondered why he hadn't done it before. But, while she held him, a strange sensation was in his stomach. What did Temari call it? He can't remember right now, but he was sure he would eventually.

Sakura took her arms from around Gaara and stepped back. She bowed her head, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." She said nervously.

What happened next shocked both of them: Gaara got up and hugged her, sending an electric shock threw her body as he did so.

Gaara didn't know what possessed him to do it, but as long as that feeling was there, he didn't care. Sakura was shocked at first, but then her face softened again and she wrapped her arms around him.

Unbeknownst to them, Hiranor was watching from a crack in the door with a smile on his face. He was watching them and reading their emotions. Their emotions were like a tidal wave, threatening to drown them if they didn't get far enough away. But if today's events were any indication, they were already drowning, and there was no way either was going to surface.

It was at that moment that Hiranor swore he would do everything he could to get these two together. They will be stuck in Kazan for a year, possibly longer, so why not make it a good year? And from what he just heard, it sounded like they really needed one.

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	5. Chapter 5: The Love They Both Needed

**Sorry for the delay, school has been a pain, hope you enjoy Chapter 5, it's my longest one so far**

**Responses to Reviewers: **

**Cindy Medeiros: I am glad you like you it. **

**: ****: Thank you for your kind words. I hope you like this new installment.**

**orochimaru's cherry blossom: While I don't think it is that great I thank you for saying so.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, a lot of things would be different **

**Inner Sakura/Shukaku**

_Thinking_

**Vocab:**

Fukusū no ByūEnpashigan: Multiple view empathy eye

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**Chapter 5: The Love They Both Needed**

Gaara didn't know what to do. Ever since he had talked to Sakura she had become kind of clingy. She was everywhere. He couldn't do anything without bumping into her along the way. One time he just couldn't take it anymore and his eyes actually showed rage, she of course asked it something was wrong. Of course something was wrong, it had pink hair and its name was Sakura. What he didn't understand was how she knew exactly where he was at all times. It was like she was stalking him, or having someone stalk him for her. (little did he know that neither was true)

Ever since Hiranor had seen them hugging and bonding in his mansion, he had gone about constructing a plan to have them together. He knew they were young but didn't they say that love was timeless? He would do anything and everything he could to get them together. He knew that he was messing with destiny and all, but frankly he didn't care, after all, he didn't have anything better to do.

The funny thing about Gaara's predicament was that Sakura wasn't even aware that someone was spying on him, or her for that matter. Whenever they ran into each other, they both had the same thoughts running through their heads. The truth was Hiranor was actually setting the whole thing up. He would have an old lady talk to Sakura for a while, or ask her to carry her things for her, and then he would have Gaara be asked by a child to help him or her with something, and pester him until he did, and then he would follow said child and then 'coincidentally' bump into Sakura. After said bump both child and woman would disappear and leave them to chat for a moment, before they would look around and find their former companions missing.

It was all an elaborate plot, and Hiranor was very proud of his achievements thus far. He had gotten them to open up even further to each other and now they talked more openly at the dinner table. It was quite refreshing to see them so happy. It gave him all the more reason to keep at it.

_A Fiery Passion_

Gaara was walking down a surprisingly empty street when Sakura came out of nowhere and ran into him, which sent both of them to the ground in tangled pile of limbs. Sakura was apologizing profusely until she locked eyes with him, which promptly shut her up. She hastily tried to untangle herself but it only made it worse as Gaara was trying to do the same thing and in the end they just made it worse, well, to them it was anyway. With all the moving around their faces had somehow come together and their lips locked. Both Sakura's and Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

Sakura quickly pulled back, and somehow managed to disentangle herself. She brushed herself off, "So Gaara, do you need help getting up?" She asked. When she didn't get a response, she looked down at him. Her face heated up, seeing as how Gaara was in the same position on the ground, eyes wide open. She squatted in front of him, and waved her hands in front of his face, "Helloo, Gaara? You there?" She shook him a little, and she still didn't get a response. She placed her head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was going at a 100 beats per minute. Just as she was about to get back up his arms came up around her and held her to him.

"Um, Gaara."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting answers."

"To what?"

"Questions."

_Okay, this is ridiculous, I mean, come on, how hard is it to give a straight answer? _Sakura thought furiously. "Hey Gaara what is your damn question? I swear if you don't tell me I will hit you into next year."

Gaara focused on her face with his usual emotionless one. "Why are you following me?" he asked.

Sakura blinked, "Following you? Why are you following _me_? Everywhere I go you are. It's like you're stalking me or something."

Gaara scoffed, "ME stalk you? Are you out of your mind? What do you have that I would possibly find interesting?"

Sakura's eyes welled up, and she immediately removed herself from his grasp. She stood up and ran away, tears streamed down her face.

Gaara sat up, not really sure what just happened. He wasn't sure where those words came from, but apparently they had a negative effect on Sakura.

He made his way back to the mansion and was walking toward his room when he heard someone crying, _Probably Sakura_, he thought to himself. Just as he was about to open his bedroom door, one of the servants walked up to him, and gave him a glare. He had red hair and deep brown eyes.

Gaara looked at him with disdain, "What do you want?"

The Servant returned the look, "Lady Sakura is crying, care to tell why?"

"Why should it matter to you?"

"Because, it is my job to keep the guests of the lord Kazankage's estate to be as happy as possible. And if we have a guest who is making another one sad, then I am obligated to intervene."

Gaara shrugged, "All I did was say that I didn't find anything interesting about her and then she started crying and ran away."

The servant gave him a smoldering glare. "You said what? That is one of the rudest things you can say to a young lady, lord Gaara. And now that I know what is wrong, I think it is high time that you fix it."

Gaara looked at him as if he was crazy, "Me? What did I do wrong?"

The servant eyed him as if he had just said that unicorns were real, "You have got to be joking. A ladies appearance is everything to them, and you insulting hers is a low blow indeed that no right-minded gentleman would make. Now I want you to go in there and apologize young man before I have the Kazankage come in and make you do it with your hands tied behind your back and a blade at your throat until you do. Do I make myself clear?" Gaara nodded weakly, something he had never done before, "Good, see that you do. Now go on, get! I don't want to hear her crying for another minute, it breaks my heart to hear a beautiful young lady such as she cry."

The servant walked off and left Gaara alone in the hall. _These servants must be allowed to speak their thoughts, 'cause that man scares me, and that is saying something._

Gaara walked up to Sakura's bedroom and brought his hand up to the door. He paused, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't make things worse. After a few minutes of thinking he finally worked up the courage (yes he was actually afraid) and waited.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice called out.

Gaara hesitated before answering, "It is me, Gaara, may I come in?"

A startled squeak was heard from inside the room, and then a hastily spoken "Yes!" Gaara knew that if he didn't go in now it would only get harder later on, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. What he saw made his heart wrench in his chest.

Sakura was sitting on the bed trying to wipe away the tears that were flowing down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying. She looked up at him and held his gaze for a few seconds before she looked down, furiously wiping away the tears that kept coming down. "You must think I am really pathetic."Gaara looked at her with a blank face, "getting worked up over nothing."

Gaara couldn't hold it in anymore, "You are not pathetic."

"Yeah I know I am… wait what?" She looked up at him with wide eyes, just registering what he had said.

Gaara took a deep breath, "You. Are. Not. Pathetic." He said painfully.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. **Is this guy for real? One moment he is insulting us and the next he is giving us a compliment? I mean, he acts like he is freaking bipolar or something.**

_I don't know, but he does seem new to this whole emotion thing. I mean, look at him, he looks like he is fighting a battle without knowing who his opponent is._

Inner thought about it for a second, **Well, I don't know if he is or not, but if he is, then MAYBE we can forgive his behavior. **

_Let's see where this goes._

Sakura looked up at him shyly, "You r-really mean t-that?"

Gaara closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I meant every word I said." _Now I have to make her feel better or that servant is going to kill me_ (strange thought for an ex-murderer), "You are thoughtful, compassionate, and amazing. You love to help others and don't think for a second about your own needs. I might not fully understand why you are crying, but I want to make it better." Now for the finishing touch, "Sakura, will you f-f-f." He narrowed his eyes, "Will you f-f-f. F-f-f." Out with it already! "Will you forgive me?"

More tears welled up in her eyes. _Great, now I just made it worse_, he moaned inwardly.

**Those are tears of joy not sadness you dolt.**

_Sh-Sh-Shukaku? I thought you were unable to wake up!_

**Yeah? Well, I am not fully awake, so you can rest easy. This place is suppressing my powers so I can't do anything other than talk. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, those are tears of happiness, not depression.**

_You mean there is more than one type of tear?_

Shukaku groaned, **You really need to get out more kid.**

_Well I would have if certain SOMEONE hadn't had a lust for blood._

**Yeah, yeah, yeah blame it all on me. But, you'll thank me in time.**

Gaara looked at him confused,_ In time? What do you mean in time?_

Shukaku chuckled, **You'll see soon enough. **And then he was gone.

_Shukaku? Great, now what am I going to do?_

Just then Sakura worked up the courage to speak. "G-Gaara?"

"Hn?"

"Could you hold me? I could really use a hug."

A look of surprise crossed his face but quickly disappeared. Gaara nodded that he would. She smiled, a heart-wrenching, soul-jerking smile that made his heart do flips in his chest. He went over to her and sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. He traced slow, calming circles on her back, and Sakura felt like she was in heaven. After several minutes of holding each other, Sakura, lean back in Gaara's arms and looked up at his face (he is slightly taller than her). He had his eyes closed and was breathing rapidly. Sakura looked at his face, he was so serene, she couldn't see how he could be a mass murderer. She looked at his forehead, where the kanji for love was and her eyes wandered to his lips. Suddenly she had an overwhelming desire to know what they would feel like against hers. She closed her eyes, and leaned forward.

Gaara was reveling in the feeling of holding her; he didn't know quite what to make of the sensation. He was so lost in the magic of the moment that he didn't even notice Sakura until her lips were pressed onto his. His eyes flew open. His heart was beating at over a hundred beats per second. This was so different from that time on the street. Her lips were soft, and tasted of strawberries.

Sakura was drowning in pure bliss. She couldn't believe that she was kissing Gaara no Sabaku, the Jinjuriki of the sand. But she loved every minute of it. Suddenly, without warning, Gaara returned the kiss, and they stayed there in that position until the need for air became overwhelming and they had to break apart.

Sakura looked away shyly, a blush deepening on her face, and luckily for Gaara away from him so she didn't see his own blush.

"Well," Gaara said after a moment of silence, "That was new." Sakura's blush deepened, "Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked hopefully.

Sakura nodded, resting her head against his chest again. Gaara rested his head lightly on top of hers. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours until suddenly _the_ servant knocked on the door and barged in without waiting for a response. He stood stock still at the scene before him. A wide smile broke out on his face, 'Well, I see my little plan worked' he mentally patted himself on the back. "I can see that you two have made up. Good job Gaara, I am glad I didn't have to force it."

Sakura looked from the servant to Gaara and back again, she was confused. "Forced? What do you mean forced?"

"Well you see my dear, it would appear that Gaara does not have as much strength as you would think. After all, do you really think he would have come in here and apologized if he had only just started to try and understand emotions this year? All I did was give him a little push in the right direction and away he went."

"So, what you're saying is that Gaara isn't very good in the emotional department? But we just... well,"

She looked away, blushing deeply.

The 'servant' winked at her, "Yes, I know _exactly_ what you two did, my dear, it is quite obvious. And now that that is done, I can take of this stupid mask."

Now Sakura was even more confused, "Mask? What do you mean mask?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Isn't it obvious?"

Sakura still didn't get it, and it was showing.

The 'servant' gave her a small smile. "Well, maybe this will clear things up." He reached up to his hair and grabbed it. He pulled it up, earning a gasp from Sakura, until the mask came off completely, revealing the sea-blue eyes and brownish-gold hair of the Kyudaime Kazankage.

"Hiranor?" Sakura didn't understand what was going on, luckily for her Gaara did.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet. I mean it was pretty obvious that it was him. Considering that only he would call you 'dear' instead of lady. Only someone with an important position or an overblown ego would dare to speak to a distinguished visitor like that."

Sakura blushed again, _He thinks I'm distinguished? I could die now and I wouldn't care. _

**Girl, you are weird. One second you're crying 'cause he was rude the next you're crying 'cause he said you are important. Make up your mind already!**Inner huffed.

_Well, he is new to this whole emotion thing so I guess it's okay to forgive him. _

"So what are you two going to do now? I mean, it's obvious that you two like each other." Hiranor said, breaking threw her thoughts.

Both Gaara and Sakura looked at him like he was crazy, "What do you mean we like each other?" they said at the same time- earning a blush from each of them.

"Well aside from all the blushing and the kissing, right? Well in case you two haven't forgotten I possess the Enpashigan, which allows me to read the emotions of others. And yours when the two of you are together is like an erupting volcano. I wish you two could see it. In fact, I think I just might do that."

"Do what" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"This." Hiranor grabbed their hands and shouted "Fukusū no ByūEnpashigan!"

Gaara and Sakura were soon seeing the world threw the Kazankage's eyes. And what they saw shocked them to put it mildly. They looked at each other and saw the longing, the desire to be with each other, and the hurt that lay beneath it all, revealing that they both had experienced a great deal of pain in their short lives.

After being sure that they saw each other's emotions, Hiranor released their hands and left the room silently, leaving them to work out their feelings.

After a few moments of silence, they rushed into each other's arms and cried. Gaara had never known anyone to actually want to be with him before, besides his uncle Yashamaru, until he had tried to kill him and then no one ever wanted to be with him again. Even his siblings, they were only around him when they had a mission and that was it. They avoided all contact with him. But here was a beautiful girl who didn't care about his past, or what he had gone threw to get where he is today. She just wanted to be with him. And he was fine with that. No scratch that, he was more than fine, he was ecstatic.

Sakura was feeling the same way, to a lesser extent. She had been hurt by others who said she was ugly and had a big forehead. And she had also been abused by her parents who said she would never be good enough for them. That she would always be the failure of the Haruno clan. That had hurt more than anything the others had said or did to her, not that she would show it, or they would have been even worse. But here she was in the arms of someone who said she was amazing, and that he thought she was special in a good way. She no longer tried to hold back the tears as they flowed down her cheek.

They separated after an hour of holding each other. Gaara made as if to leave but before he could take a single step Sakura grabbed his hand, effectively stopping him. He turned back to look at her with a non-existent eyebrow raised, questioning her action.

She was shaking slightly. "Gaara, I w-was w-wonder i-if you would spend the night with me?" She asked, blushing deeply.

Gaara was shocked, again. This was happening a lot today. _Did she say what I think she said?_

Shukaku was waving his tale excitedly, **I must say our little blossom is something else. First she kisses you and the next she is asking to sleep with you. **

Gaara nodded numbly, earning a squeal of joy from Sakura. "Yay! Now all we have to do is change and we are all set."

Gaara nodded again and made his way to his room where there was a set of nightclothes waiting for him on his bed. He quickly changed and went back to Sakura's room where she was combing her shoulder-length hair in front of a mirror on the wall. She had let it grow out again. As soon as he walked in the door, she stopped brushing and smiled at him. He felt like his heart doing a somersault in his chest.

She got up from the chair and went over to her bed where got under the covers and motioned for him to join her. He sighed and climbed under the covers. Sakura cuddled up to him, earning her a gasp from her bed buddy. She giggled. _This is going to be a very interesting year. _

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Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6: The Day They Went Back Home

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! If I did, than Madara would have died fighting Hashirama Senju**

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**Chapter 6: The Day They Went Back Home**

Over the course of the year, Sakura and Gaara grew closer together. And every time that Gaara said something insensitive, if Sakura wasn't prepared for it, Hiranor would step in and force him (One time literally) to make up for it. They eventually got to the point where they would walk in public holding hands, it was quite a sight, and, it also drew the ire of many males and females alike that had set their eyes on the opposite gender. And when they kissed in front of the ramen shop (it wouldn't be Naruto without one) they went crazy. But even then Hiranor was able to keep them under control which drew the females that were stalking Gaara back to stalking him, much to his disappointment.

The year was coming to a close and the preparations were in the final stage of having everything checked to make sure it was all there. Many of the old timers chose to stay in the village, feeling that the  
trip was for the younger generation and they didn't want to slow them down.

Over the course of a week everything was checked seven times, one for each day to make sure nothing was out of place or had gone bad. When Hiranor was confident that nothing could go wrong he called Sakura and Gaara to the dining hall for the last meal before they set out. Hiranor sat at the head of the table as he always did, and as had become usual, Sakura and Gaara sat next to each other.

Hiranor looked up from his plate and couldn't help but smile. His plan to get them together had gotten off (mostly) without a hitch. And he was quite proud of that fact. The only problem being that after he helped them out, they set out to do the same for him, setting him up on blind dates with rabid fan-girls that kept trying to get in his pants. A Kage's life is filled with peril. Everyone wants to have a relation with one, even if it was illegitimately. Fortunately for him they had both agreed that the 'dates' were causing more harm than good, and stopped doing it.

He turned his head toward the pink-haired kunoichi, "So Sakura, when we set out our first destination is Konoha, and since none of us, I think, knows where it is I would like you to lead the way. Gaara and I will be right there with you in case anything happens. Gaara," He moved his head slightly, "I will be returning your gourd to you before we set out. I realize that as soon as we leave here that Shukaku will have a lot more power over you, but I would like to think that you can handle him better now, and with that I would like to thank you two for putting up with us for this long year."

Sakura smiled, "No, I want to thank you Hiranor, because if we hadn't been brought here then Gaara and I would never have been together and I can't begin to express how happy it has made me." She blushed looking at Gaara. He simply hn'd. He still didn't talk much, except when he was alone with Sakura that is. But his mouth did curl slightly at the ends, which showed if you were actually looking, that he was happy as well.

Hiranor couldn't help but smile at the happy couple. "Well, we set out as soon as we are done eating, so please, enjoy." A thought suddenly crossed his mind that he hadn't thought about. "Gaara, Sakura," their heads turned back toward him, "It has just occurred to me that you two have been missing from the outside world for roughly a year, won't your villages have sent out search parties?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head, "Not for this long. They probably called off the search after a couple of months and proclaimed me MIA."

Gaara simply shrugged, "My village wouldn't have even bothered with one. They are busy seeing me as the demon incarnate then as a human being to care what happens to me."

Hiranor folded his hands under his chin, "I see, well in that case we shouldn't worry about running into wandering Shinobi on our journey. That will certainly make things easier. But enough of such talks, please, dig in."

They finished eating and gathered their belongings and went outside. The villagers making the journey were all assembled as well as the ninja that would be escorting them. Hiranor looked out at the mass of people and smiled.

He cleared his throat, "Alright everyone, it is time for us to venture out into an unknown world, where no one knows who we are, or where we come from. For the time being, I would like you all t refrain from mentioning anything about the location of our beloved village, as some might take the opportunity to attack it in out absence. Now that that is done, let's head out." A cheer went up from the crowd as he walked past everyone and they made their way to the gates of the village. As they walked outside Hiranor looked to his side at the pink-haired ninja and cleared his throat to get her attention. "Sakura, if the worst happens and we are attacked, I want you to use your medical skills to help (Note: Sakura was kept occupied over the course of the year by reading medical texts)," but I do not under any circumstances want you join the fighting. That is what we are for. Do you understand what I am trying to say? It is not that we think you are weak, it's just that Gaara and I are more combat-oriented than you are."

The kunoichi in question frowned, but nodded that she understood. The Kazankage smiled. With that done he turned back to the front as they slowly made their way down the volcano's exterior.

_A Fiery Passion_

In Konoha

2 months after the invasion (Sakura and Gaara were still in Kazan)

In Konoha, Naruto was quiet, which was a feat in and of itself, except for the fact that it was brought on by the news that the search for Sakura had gone on too long and that they were calling it off, much to the chagrin of the parents, her relatives, and her friends. He sulked off to the training grounds to get some time in as a way to help cope with the loss of a friend. He knew that Sakura was never really nice to him, but he still considered her his friend, one of his precious people.

He was practicing alone when all of a sudden he sensed someone coming. He recognized the chakra signature right away.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" He yelled.

The Sannin in question covered his ears. "Naruto you idiot I am right here. You don't have to yell." He said annoyed.

"But I am happy to see you!" he whined loudly.

"Yeah? Well, I want to be able to use my ears. I can't do my research without them."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Don't you mean spy on naked women?"

As soon as the words left his mouth Jiraiya rushed forward and covered it, and looked around to make sure no one heard him. Once he was assured of that, he looked back down at Naruto. "Listen squirt. I have come to train you. But if you don't want me to teach you then that's your choice."

Naruto looked up at him in disdain, "You train me? Hah! All you'd is ogle women while I sit around doing nothing."

Jiraiya sighed and started to walk away. With his back to him he said, "Oh well, and I was going to teach you one of the Fourth Hokage's personal Jutsus." Naruto's ears perked up at that, "But I guess you aren't interested. Maybe I should ask someone else to let me teach them it." Just as the words left his mouth Naruto zipped in front of him with a bag on his back ready for a trip. _How did he do that so fast?_

He smiled, "Well, alright then, let's go."

They left the village later that day. But unbeknownst to them, two shadowy figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds and bamboo hats appeared after they were long gone.

"Hey Itachi," The taller of the two asked.

"Hn?" Was all he got in reply from the ex-Konoha nin.

"Do you really think that we'll find the Kyuubi brat here?"

A slight shrug of the shoulder, "I don't know Kisame, but whether he is here or not he was here recently, and as such there will be people who know where he went."

The ex-Kiri nin smiled widely beneath his hat. With Samehada on his back he marched forward toward the gates, fog rolling in as they made their entrance to the village. The guards were dispatched easily as they walked into Konoha.

They were walking the river in town when Asuma and Kurenai appeared and a battle ensued. Kakashi joined the fight and then just as things were looking bad Might Guy appeared with his signature "Dynamic Entry" which saved Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai and forced Itachi and Kisame to retreat from the village. But not before they met a civilian that told them, under the influence of the Sharingan, that Naruto had left the village with the Toad sage, and forced them to rethink their approach to the matter of Naruto's capture.

_A Fiery Passion_

Temari was worried. Which was something she simply didn't do and it was scaring her. She was not used to the emotion. And to make matters worse she was scared for _Gaara_ of all people. It had been 2 months since his disappearance during the attack on Konoha, and there had still been no sign of him turning up. It was like he had dropped off the face of the earth. She knew that she hadn't been the best sister, but that was because her father had ordered her not to be friendly to him, and because she feared her father more than Gaara, she obeyed. Kankuro had also been bullied into ignoring him, and because of that their relationship had been little better than acquaintances.

After his disappearance was announced, the villagers cheered loudly. And not a single squad was sent out to find him, despite the insistence of Lord Ebizu and Lady Chiyo. They knew that it would be unwise to leave a Jinjuriki as powerful as he on the loose, and a couple others agreed with them, however they were outnumbered and their request to send out a party was denied. Temari wished she hadn't been ordered to retreat; otherwise she would have gone back for him.

And of course to add to the problem the Yondaime Kazekage had vanished during the invasion as well. They had no leader, and there was no viable replacement. Sure there were people that wanted the job, but they hadn't the slightest clue as to what it would really require of them and so all of their applications were thrown out the window. They only used applications for the preliminaries so-to-speak. They helped them narrow down the choices. Naturally Gaara would have passed this part as he was the son of the previous Kage, however Gaara wasn't here now and things weren't looking good.

Temari looked up at the sky and cried, "What am I going to do now? At this rate I will never be able to apologize to him. Never be able to tell him I am sorry about everything I did and didn't do. Where are you Gaara?"

_A Fiery Passion_

Present time

The red-head in question was walking at the head of the column of the, for lack of a better word, tourists. When he had been running from Sakura (which is something he swore he would never do again) he hadn't really been paying attention to which way he was going, and as such ended up in the most dangerous country, if one can call it that, in the world, even worse than Bear country and its poison-gas crevice. The volcanoes in the region were known for being active eighty percent of the year, and that it was impossible to predict when they would go active, or so they thought. After years of living in the harsh environment they had figured out the cycle and as such they _could_ to come and go as they pleased. Too bad they never did.

The village hidden in the volcano was located at the heart of the Land of Ashes, or Volcano Country as some like to call it. And because of that no one enters the fiery deathtrap for fear of being burned alive by all the magma flowing down those slopes. Luckily for them, when Gaara and Sakura first arrived in Ash Country it was during that twenty percent lull.

The party made its way thru by avoiding all the active volcanoes. They knew which ones were because during the year of preparation that was one of the things they had to check to ensure the safety of the villagers.

After a few hours of walking, they finally came to a sea of trees, a sight that left many awestruck. From there Sakura and Gaara took the lead, as they were more familiar with the surroundings. She led them thru the woods for another few hours until they decided to call it for the day. When they went back home they wanted to have lots of energy to keep up with everything they guessed would happen.

That night, while Gaara and Sakura were in their sleeping bag (they had been sharing the same bed for most of the year), Gaara thought of something, "Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, cherry blossom?"

"What do you think will happen when we get home? I mean, we were enemies when we left so…"

"You're concerned that they might attack me, right?" she nodded, her eyes showed her fear for him. He chuckled, and then nipped at her neck, earning a gasp from his favorite pink-haired ninja. "Well, if they do, I won't let them take me from you, and I am sure that Hiranor would do everything in his power to make it possible for us to be together. And they wouldn't want to upset a possible ally." He said and smiled. "But let's not talk about that now, let's just go sleep and worry about that tomorrow okay?"

Sakura nodded her agreement, and yawned after that proving their need for sleep.

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Please Review!


	7. Chapter 7: The Trip Into Town

**Sorry for the delay, school and all that. Hope you enjoy! ^_^  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. No own, no sue.**

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**Chapter 7: The Trip Into Town**

The journey to Konoha was long, but they finally made it to the gates.

Before they were too close, Hiranor pulled Gaara and Sakura aside. "Alright, I will need you two to stay with me, as I am sure you will not be given pleasant glances what with Gaara being a Jinjuriki and all. Now just remember that if anything happens I will be right here. I will protect you if the worst should happen, but I hope the villagers act sensibly." He smiled at them fondly, "Now, remember, before I am willing to take my people any closer to this village I need to make sure that it is safe. So Gaara and Sakura I need you two to stay behind with the villagers until I say it is okay, alright?" They both nodded. Good. Wish me luck."

With that he walked away his hand in the air signaling his farewell. They looked at each other worriedly. They knew that he was strong, seeing as how he was the Kazankage and all, but they couldn't help it. After all they didn't know what the village was like having spent a year in isolation from the rest of the world.

_A Fiery Passion_

Hiranor walked up to the gates at a leisurely pace, making it seem that he was just an ordinary traveler, even though he was really quite stunned at how beautiful Konoha looked. When he passed the gates, two guards appeared in front of him. "Hello there, welcome to Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. We noticed that you came alone. Are you in some kind of trouble? Need a job done?" the first guard started to pester him.

"Kotetsu, leave the young man alone, I am sure that if he had need of our services he would have asked right away. Besides, he just got here, give him some space."

Kotetsu sighed, "Fine. Have it your way Izumo." He looked back at Hiranor. "Well, I hope you enjoy your time here in Konoha." He paused for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to be a ninja would you?" watching for any sign of deception.

Hiranor laughed, which startled the two guards. "Me, a ninja? Hahaha. That has got to be the funniest thing I have ever heard."

Kotetsu and Izumo looked at him equally confused. "What's so funny about it?"

Tagerasu shook his head, "Well, you see, I am the son of a very old clan, but if you must know they stopped teaching ninjutsu over a hundred years ago." It wasn't a lie, his clan DID stop teaching ninjutsu, however that did not mean that they stopped teaching. "And while I am sure you have many questions you would like to ask me, I must be on my way. I have never been here before and I would like to see what this village looked like.

As he was walking down the main street of the village he heard a couple people talking. He inconspicuously made his way closer to hear them better.

"…get rid of that thing."

"Well, I hope they do because I won't feel safe until that thing is gone."

Hiranor popped up behind them. "What thing?"

"GAH!" Both the men that were talking jumped five feet in the air. When they landed back down, the chubby one of the two said, "Don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Holding his heart and panting frantically.

The Kyudaime Kazankage bowed deeply. "My sincerest apologies. I was simply curious about what you were talking about."

"Oh, we were just talking about how the council is going to get rid of the demon child and let us live our lives in peace."

At the mention of demon child, Hiranor couldn't help but shake with rage, but the other two apparently didn't notice as they continued on. "Yeah, that Uzumaki brat will finally be gone and we won't have a demon on the loose anymore."

At that point Hiranor snapped. He lunged at the two men and hit them both so hard that they flew backwards and slammed into the wall behind them. Everything stopped. Everyone around the three stopped and stared, wondering what set this guy off. Two leaf village Shinobi poofed next to Hiranor and pushed him to the ground.

One of them had a monkey mask covering his face, the other had a wolf. "Alright stranger that is as far as you go. You are coming with us to see our Hokage and she will decide what to do from there." They poofed away with their 'prisoner' and in a puff of smoke appeared in the office of the Hokage.

When the smoke cleared, they saw that the Lady Hokage was not there. Wolf smacked himself on the head, "Damn, I forgot that Lady Tsunade had a meeting with the council." He looked Monkey, then down at Hiranor who was lying on the ground. "I guess we will have to add another thing to the docket then. Alright Monkey, pick him up and let's go." Monkey did as he was asked and they disappeared in another puff of smoke.

They reappeared inside the council chamber, startling a number of the attending members. One civilian councilman stood up, annoyed at the interruption. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting our meeting Anbu, we are in the middle of taking out the trash at the moment."

A relatively young-looking woman who wore a grass-green robe and a grey, kimono-style blouse stood up, eyes flashed angrily. "Naruto is not trash Kiyoto. He tried to do what was asked of him and the only thing you want to do is kill him? You have no right!" She said indignantly.

_This must be the Tsunade they were all talking about._ Hiranor waited for his 'captors' to address their leader.

Wolf stepped forward. "Lady Hokage, there was an incident in the village a short while ago where this man attacked two of our civilians. They had not made any move to assault him so we restrained him and brought him here so that you may decide his fate."

Tsunade took a deep breath. She looked down at Hiranor and narrowed her eyes. "And why pray tell did you do that?"

Hiranor shook off his 'captor's' arm. He looked up at her with respect showing in his eyes. "Well, they were talking about the Uzumaki kid as if he were a demon so I decided to show them what I thought about their opinion." He smirked; this village was going to be very entertaining.

Tsunade smiled, she liked this guy, whoever he was, "Well, I can accept that. I trust that you will never do it again?"

"As long as they don't talk about it while I am around."

"Good." She clapped her hands "This matter is closed."

Several councilors in the room stood up in outrage, "You are going to let him off with little more than a slap on the wrist? He attacked our villagers."

"Who obviously have no respect for their own protectors. This man is apparently of higher caliber than any of you. He is not of Konoha but even he can see it is wrong to punish someone for something they did not ask for in the first place." She paused, then looked down at said man. "Oh and before I forget, what is your name young man? I am lady Tsunade, Gondaime Hokage of Kono… What happened to your eyes?"

At the moment she had chosen to look back down at Hiranor, his Enpashigan had been activated, and he was furious. Everyone's attention was brought upon him, but at the moment he didn't care. He brought his arms in front of him. Now this action normally doesn't elicit a gasp, but at the moment I question he had been restrained by very tight ropes, and the two Anbu behind him had been looking at his hands to make sure he didn't try to get out of them. Not only had he not made any attempt to remove the rope, but he had simply moved his arms and the ropes fell off. When they looked at the end of the rope they saw that it was burned.

Hiranor looked up at the councilors and spat fire at them, literally. They all jumped back. Tsunade's eyes widened. She had heard of no such jutsu, or even a Kekke Genkai, that had such power over fire. "What are you?"

Hiranor smirked, "My name is Hiranor Tagerasu. And as for the other question, how about instead of telling you I show you?"

Danzo couldn't help but be intrigued by this strange boy who was a member of a clan and had a Kekke Genkai that had been thought to be extinct for over two-hundred years. He had to have him. He cleared his throat, which drew everyone's eyes to him. "I suggest that we have a fight. A battle between this boy and Naruto Uzumaki. The winner goes free."

Tsunade rose to her feet, her eyes blazing, "Danzo, you are out of line. We have already established the fact that this man is stronger than Naruto. It would be a completely one-sided fight."

Tsume Inuzuka growled, "You think you can weigh one life against the other? Well guess what, the council will not stand for it. These are human beings, not tools to be tossed out when they are deemed useless. Naruto is a good friend of my son Kiba and I will not let you hurt him."

Hiashi picked up the reins after Tsume, "He is also a dear friend of my daughter Hinata (He would never admit they are dating) and I know that if he goes, she will follow and I cannot have that so I cannot agree."

Pretty soon all the clan heads were saying how Naruto was a positive influence on their children's lives and that it would not be in the best interest of the village to have him killed or exiled as they would break all ties to the village and leave.

Tsunade looked Danzo square in the eye and said, "You have overstepped your authority for the last time. I move to have Danzo removed from the council, permanently."

Danzo was left at a loss for words. Shikaku Nara nodded his head in agreement; Along with Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka. Tsunade agreed with them as well. She had been waiting for an opportunity to get rid of Danzo since the first moment he tried to turn Naruto into a living weapon. Plus he had halted any attempt to have Naruto adopted, which left many with a lot of pent up frustration.(did I mention how much I despise Danzo?)

"All who wish to have Danzo removed from this Council raise your hand."

More than half of the council members raised their hands. Without Danzo on the Council a lot more could be done since he did everything he could to subvert the Sandaime's, Yondaime's, and the Gondaime's power for his own gain.

"**You have chosen well, Hokage of the leaf." **

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Please Review! I want to hear what you have to say.


	8. Chapter 8: The Missing Tail

**Chapter 8: ** **The Missing Tail**

Vocab:

Kazuhito: Benevolent One

Ryu Sennin: Dragon Sage

Pendragon: Chief Dragon

Juubi: Ten-tailed beast

**Demon speaking**

_**Demon thought**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Naruto wouldn't be Naruto

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recap:

"**You have chosen well, Hokage of the leaf." **

end recap.

The deep voice cut thru the conversations going on after Danzo was removed from the council chamber. Everyone looked at the source of the words, and what they saw scared them.

Hiranor was looking terrifying. His eyes had slits like a lizard with grey surrounding the iris. He had two fiery wings stretching out of his back. His body was wreathed in flames, and from his back a single tail waved back and forth.

Tsunade blanched. When she had heard the story of the ten demons from her grandfather she had been told that the number of tales signified the amount of power the demon has. Over the last thousand years there had been reports of them being seen all over the world. The first nine made their presence known by attacking all the nations of the world. The tenth however deigned only to show himself when someone got too strong for their own good and appeared to take them down a notch. But over the centuries people had forgotten about the last tail and simply dismissed it as a myth and went on with their lives. But standing before them was that tenth tail; the greatest of all tailed beasts. But what was his name? Oh, that was it.

"Pendragon," Tsunade whispered none too quietly. The people nearest to her heard her whisper the name. And couldn't help but wonder where she had heard it, and how she knew who he was.

Hiranor looked at her, curiosity all but evident in his face. **"So, you know my name do you? I find that quite amusing, seeing as how I went to great lengths to keep myself hidden all these years. Well, no matter. I feel I must express gratitude on my host's behalf."  
**

"And why can't he just say it himself?" Asked a very scared Hiashi (I know, right, Hiashi Hyuuga shaking like a little girl).

Hiranor grinned, **"Well, you see he is has a very low tolerance for councilors. He just had a bout with a few of them last year and he still hasn't gotten over it. Long story short they tried to take over the village, they failed, and are now wasting away in our high security prison. And I must say after seeing this recent action taken by your own council I must agree with him." **

He growled, which send a shockwave rippling outward shaking the entire building. Scaring two Root members from their positions on the other side of the chamber doors where they were about to set explosives. Subsequently setting them off and killing them in the process. The loud boom that was heard startled everyone except for Hiranor, Hiashi (because he could see them thru the door), and Tsume (cause of her superior dog nose).

"**Now that that is settled I would like to get across the fact that my host's loyalty is not up for debate. Nor is mine. Besides, I have been sleeping for far too long for me to actually care what village he supports. He made his decision years ago and I will support him in any way I can. But do not think that I will allow you to force him into serving you either. I have seen what lengths humans will go to to acquire more power. And with me being the king of demons I find it most disturbing." **

Many of the people in the room looked at him oddly. "King of demons? Isn't that the title of the Nine-tailed Fox?"

Hiranor chuckled. **"Nine-tails, the king of demons?" **Hiranor threw back his head and laughed,** "That has got to be the funniest thing I have ever heard. I am the Ten-tailed Dragon. Do you really think that he is stronger than me?" **

Just then the doors to the chamber burst open, revealing a young man with bright blond hair with three whisker-marks on each cheek. But what threw the councilors off was that his eyes were red and the pupil was slitted, his nails were more akin to claws and his body was radiating red chakra. As soon as the boy saw Hiranor, he walked up to him and stretched out his hand, which Pendragon promptly shook. And when he took it away, there wasn't a burn to show for it.

Hiranor chuckled. ** "It has been quite some time since we met face to face, eh Kazuhito?"**

The Nine-tailed Fox's host chuckled,** "That it has Pendragon, that it has. Tell me, how has Kazan been treating you?"**

"**Quite well actually, considering that I have been asleep for the last hundred years or so. It was so troublesome trying to stay awake in that cursed volcano, although I am impressed with the ingenuity, it still irks me to no end that they found a weakness to the ten tailed beasts.**

Hiashi Hyuuga was the first to speak. "Lord Pendragon, we are curious as to how you know so much about one of our noble clans." The others were nodding their heads in agreement with the question.

"**You all wish to know how I know what I know?" **they all nodded their heads. Hiranor chuckled,** "Very well, let me start by asking you all a question. Do you all know the tale of the Tagerasu clan?"**

"Tagerasu? I have never heard that name before." Tsume Inuzuka said scratching her head.

"It is the name of an ancient clan that existed over two-hundred years ago but was killed off during a hunt that was being carried out by all the major nations. They were renowned for being the best psychologists in the world. But because of their ability to sense other people's emotions they were targeted by many powerful clans and the nations followed suit." Tsunade said, startling many with her knowledge.

"**You are correct Lady Tsunade, and how you know that is a question for another time. However you left something out."**

"And what would that be Pendragon?"

"**That it was from the Tagerasu clan that all the major Doujutsu clans were sprung." **A gasp was heard coming from everyone's mouths while Kazuhito and Pendragon merely chuckled. It never failed to amuse them the lack of knowledge the humans seemed to keep in their tiny little heads. **"Yes, it is true, and the Rinnegan remains alone as the only Doujutsu not bred from my host's line, seeing as how it was around before my host's clan came into being, granted that didn't take long as the Sage of the Six Paths decided to settle down. He imparted on the Tagerasu clan the most powerful of the ten Demons: me. But I have said too much as it is. And we must return to my host's people. They have been kept waiting long enough I think. So we will return to them now. You many follow if you wish, but I suggest that you do not take any hostile actions toward any in our number, we will respond in kind and I do not believe that you have recovered completely since last year."**

With that the dragon lord walked over to a wall of the chamber, made a hole, spread his wings, and took to the sky. Many of the clan heads bowed their heads in respect to Tsunade before following after Hiranor; and soon after she followed them.

_A Fiery Passion_

When Hiranor set down in front of his party, suffice to say they were startled by his arrival in his dragon form. Gaara and Sakura had of course seen him take it's form, but it was generally agreed upon that he would not do so as it might start a hunt for the 'extinct species' that collectors simply _had_ to have on their wall. But as soon as he touched the ground, he changed back into his human form, and his legs promptly gave out on him. Gaara's sand caught him before he fell, cushioning the impact.

"That took a lot more out of me then I thought it would," Hiranor said between breaths.

Sakura shook her head sighing as a green glow enveloped her hands and she started to heal any damage the possession might have done to his body.

"So," she began, "When were you going to tell us that you were a jinjuriki?"

"Well, technically I'm not," He took a deep breath, "But that is the least of our worries." As soon as the words left his lips the clan heads and a number of the ninja in their employ appeared in front of the party, with Lady Tsunade. A pink haired woman, as soon as she appeared on the ground, looked across at Hiranor being tended to by another pink haired one, albeit a much younger one.

"S-S-Sakura?" She gasped.

Said girl raised her head, and locked eyes with the older woman. Her eyes widened. "Mom? Mom!" She shrieked happily as she raced toward her mother at incredible speeds, and ran into her waiting arms. They stayed like that for a few moments before they control of their emotions and separated. But what happened next did not go as well. Sakura looked up at her mother, "Hey mom, I want you to meet my boyfriend." She ran toward Gaara and Hiranor with her mother in tow and let go of her hand so she could run over and stand by Gaara, and coincidentally Hiranor who was standing on her other side.

Oka Haruno was actually quite pleased when she saw her standing next to the powerful man that had introduced himself to them just moments before, although they still didn't know his name. But just as she was about to congratulate her daughter on finding such a 'fine' specimen Tsunade approached the group from Kazan, and Hiranor, because he had gone into demon form without being really prepared, was assisted by Gaara and Sakura and carried to greet her properly. Unfortunately, as soon as they got close enough, some of the ninjas recognized Gaara from the year before and couldn't help but growl at him.

And Gaara would have responded to them however Sakura put her hand on his arm, calming him down. Tsunade approached them, and so Sakura and Gaara carried Hiranor up to meet her. Tsunade was the first to speak.

"From what I hear you have the Sand Jinjuriki with you, and it also appears that you have one of our ninja as well. I am curious as to how that happened. But before we get to that I think that introductions are in order, as we never actually heard your name."

He chuckled, "I apologize, in all the commotion I forgot my manners." Shakily he removed his arms from their shoulders and bowed deeply, he would have fallen over had Gaara not caught him. When he was upright again, he said, "I am the Kyudaime Kazankage of Kazangakure no Sato. I am also known as the Ryu Sennin, I am also, although mistakenly, referred to as the jinjuriki of the One-tailed Dragon. And I am the last of my clan. My name is Hiranor Tagerasu and I am the leader of these people."

A collective gasp came up from the clan heads. They had heard the description of the Tagerasu clan in the council room from Pendragon but having someone from the actual clan was something else entirely.

Hiashi Hyuuga stepped forward, as he was the diplomat of the village, and with a nod from Tsunade, went into his I-can-make-anyone-an-ally-while-still-being-stuck-up mode.

"My lord Kazankage, my name is Hiashi Hyuuga. Seeing as how you did not get a welcome in your initial approach we of Konoha wish to extend our hospitality to you and your people." He shot a look at Gaara and frowned, "However I must ask that you turn the demon boy over to us." What he got in response was quite the opposite of what he was expecting. He had expected the man to leap for joy at having the jinjuriki taken away from him. Too bad he forgot that the Kazankage was a jinjuriki too, however loosely the term might fit.

Hiranor openly glared at Hiashi, fire coming out of his eyes, making it the best death glare any had ever seen. Many ninja peed their pants at the sight of it. "You have a lot of nerve giving me orders lord Hyuuga. And I do not like how you have just attacked my good friend Gaara. And have you already forgotten who and what I am, fool? I possess the One-tailed Dragon! And you have the nerve to call a fellow beast holder a demon? I am afraid that I must decline your offer. If this is how you treat guests from a neighboring village, I won't feel safe leaving my people in your care. I think I shall visit Gaara's village instead. Suna was it?" Said jinjuriki nodded, "Well, I guess we're off. Sakura, what is your choice? I know you have friends here but from what I have seen I don't think the adults would approve of your relationship with a jinjuriki."

Sakura nodded wearily, she knew before they had arrived that they wouldn't allow her relationship with Gaara. She moved to go with them but was stopped when Tsunade cleared her throat. Hiranor had Gaara turn him around to face her.

"I want to apologize on behalf of the Hyuuga. They are our village diplomats but it seems that they are lacking in that department at the moment." Hiashi moved to protest but was silenced by a death glare from his superior. "I realize that you have a demon container in your midst and I want to thank you for everything you have done for him. His life growing up was not a happy one, much like our own." She sent another death glare behind her, this time directed at all the ninja that were of age when Naruto was growing up and made his life hell. There was a collective gulp. "I also wish to apologize for any misconceptions that our village might have engendered. And even if you were to leave I would be required to keep Ms. Haruno with us seeing as how she is a ninja of our village."

"Who you obviously didn't know about until she showed up and everyone told you she was."

"That doesn't matter, what DOES matter is that you have one of our own in your company and unless I have proof that you did not place a Genjutsu on her I will not allow her to go anywhere with you."

"Then I guess we will be staying for a while now won't we?"

"Well I hope you have a nice trip… wait did you just say you'll stay?" his words finally making it to her brain.

He smiled, "Yes that is what I said. I would never dream of parting Sakura from her beloved. And that is what would happen if I left her in your care, as well as the fact that she happens to know village secrets that I am not about to allow you to know. So as long as she is with you, so are we." To make it clear he turned his head toward his people and yelled, "We are staying here for a little while. So please make your way inside the village in an orderly fashion."

Homura stepped forward to protest, "I must protest. Why should we be forced to take in all these people? There are too many of them. We cannot possibly be expected to find housing for each of them."

Tsunade glared at him, "Are you trying to start a war Homura? These people are potential allies and you know how much we need those at the moment, so don't even start on that. And besides, what with all the construction being done we could quite easily set up an extra building or three for our guests. And if anyone else has something stupid they want to say say it now, because I don't have enough patience to deal with this crap for much longer." Silence and a fuming Homura greeted her. She nodded, glad that that was over.

"I am disturbed to see this blatant disregard for authority, Lady Hokage. After all, should your voice not be the final one? But seeing as the moment has passed I can let that abide for now. In the meantime I would like my people to have a tour of the village. Seeing as how we have never been here before."

"I think that is doable. I would also like to extend to you the offer of sleeping in the room reserved for visiting Kages, seeing as how you are one. "

Hiranor smiled, "It would be an honor lady Tsunade."

Tsunade called for a few Chuunin to take the villagers on a tour of Konoha while she escorted Hiranor and his bodyguards to his quarters. When Gaara and Sakura moved to join them Mrs. Haruno and several other ninja stepped in front of the group, bringing it to a halt.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "What do you think you are doing? These people are our guests. Would you deny them entrance?"

Mrs. Haruno shook her head, "No, that's not the problem." She lifted a finger and pointed it at Gaara, "He is. We will not allow that demon to enter this village again. Not after what he did last year."

Sakura looked at her mother in shock. She had thought that she was better than this. Obviously she was wrong. "Mother," Oka looked at her daughter, "Gaara changed. He is not the same person you knew a year ago. He is better now. And I love him. That should be enough for you."

Suffice to say Oka Haruno was not happy. She had really thought she had raised her daughter better than this. She thought she had taught her not to fraternize with demons, but apparently she didn't get the message across very well. She looked at Sakura, anger showing on her face, "You love him?" she spat on the ground, "Demons don't know how to love. They exist to kill and only kill, they don't know the first thing about love. And I thought I taught you better. Demons are evil. They deserve to die for everything they have done."

Now, to be brutally honest, Sakura felt she no longer knew her mother, in fact she questioned that she had ever really known her. Anyone that could call another human being a demon and say they deserve to die is not someone she would want to have anything to do with. She loved her mother, the one she knew before she left, but this was not her. Sakura glared at her. But before she could say a word, Tsunade walked up to her Oka Haruno and whacked her on the head, sending her to the ground hard. She glared down at her, "I don't know what to make of you. I thought you were better than this. But obviously you like to start wars with other nations. Or did you forget that the leader of our esteemed guests is in fact a demon container?"

Oka glared back up in response as she shakily got back up to her feet. "He is the exception. The ten-tailed beast was known to only fight people who got too powerful for their own good. That THING on the other hand has killed hundred for no better reason then they looked at him wrong. And he still hasn't answered for what he did last year."

Tsunade's glare intensified tenfold, "You idiot! The actions taken last year were already forgiven. It is well-known that Orochimaru made them participate after killing the Yondaime Kazekage. You would do well to pick your next words carefully. I have no problem handing you over to Ibiki. Now, will you let Gaara Sabaku go into our village?"

Mrs. Haruno blanched, she might hate the demon boy, but she fears Ibiki even more. He wasn't the head of the interrogation squad for nothing. She gulped, "I-I w-will l-let him e-enter our village."

"Good!" Tsunade beamed, "Now that that is settled, we will continue on our way. Oh and for security reasons Sakura will be staying with the Kazan delegation."

Because of her outburst she was in no position to argue with the Hokage, although she did suddenly decide to try and come up with a way to get back at her.

The party passed the gates and entered the village. While walking down the main street, many people looked up at the group and recognized Gaara. Some of them screamed "Kill the demon!" and "Destroy the monster!" while other people, who noticed that Tsunade was with him, merely bowed their heads in acknowledgement before resuming their previous activities. And then there was a small percentage of people who wet themselves and some members of this group actually fainted in terror at seeing the One-tailed Tanuki back after around a year of being reported missing.

During the entire ordeal Sakura was standing beside Gaara, holding his hand and giving it a squeeze every time he would tense, calming his nerves and reminding him that he was not alone anymore so he didn't have to worry about what these people said, even though it still hurt to hear it.

Because of a move by a very stupid villager, he decided to try to kill Gaara, and was promptly encased in fire before he could get too close. Tsunade was not pleased, but even more then her was Sakura. Because you just don't mess with a medic-nin's boyfriend. Hiranor kindly (or in the case of the villager not so kind) released the fires folding him. And he was face-to-face with a very angry pinkette who suddenly decided he wasn't worthy of bearing kids. Suffice to say he didn't walk home. That done Sakura turned on her heels and returned to Gaara's side, grabbed his hand, and continued on their way.

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**Please Review! I want to know what you think! Criticism approved! And if you do have some, please explain what needs to be improved. I can't read your mind thru a computer. **


	9. Author's note

Author's Note

Sorry to all my faithful readers, but I no longer have the drive to finish this story. Seeing as the person who originally said he was going to adopt this has not made a single move to publish it, I am now authorizing anyone who wants to to use elements of this story if they want to. And if people want to continue it themselves they can. Until Next time folks!^_^

-Vangran


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